


Difficulties of Dating

by Alshoruzen



Series: Lure [3]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-08 05:37:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8832460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alshoruzen/pseuds/Alshoruzen
Summary: Kaito has a lot of plans now that he and Shinichi have finally reached an understanding, but everyone seems hell bent on getting in his way. Whoever would have thought having an uninterrupted first date would be so hard? KaiShin





	1. First Date

Standing on the sidewalk as people moved past him in endless streams, Shinichi looked up at the sign hanging over the little corner restaurant. He had never been here before. In fact, he'd never even walked down this street before. Then again, that was probably the point. The riddle had led him here, but he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do next. He was sure he'd correctly interpreted the time and place, but he didn't see Kaito anywhere.

Looking down at the small notebook he'd copied the riddle into, he reread the lines. Yes, this was the place all right. The last lines implied that he should go ahead and get a seat.

So he pushed open the doors and stepped inside. A few minutes later he was seated at a table for two with a menu and the weird impression that all the staff members were watching him from the corners of their eyes. It was giving him the creeps.

The first odd thing he noticed was that the restaurant had no windows. This should have made it feel claustrophobic, but the decorators had compensated for the lack by stringing hundreds of tiny lanterns across the ceiling like Christmas tree lights. It by no means made the place bright, but it did give it a soft, warm glow. The back wall of the restaurant had been hung with thick curtains. A ledge peeped out from beneath the foot of the curtains. Shinichi looked at this for a moment before it suddenly clicked. It was a stage.

"Here's your coffee," the waiter announced, appearing suddenly beside Shinichi's seat.

He blinked. "But I didn't order—" he started to say, but the man had already gone. That had been…strange, but he'd been prepared to order coffee anyway so it didn't make much difference. He picked up the mug and breathed in deeply, reveling in the delicious aroma of rich, dark coffee.

He liked this place already.

He was just starting to wonder again where Kaito was when the lantern-shaped lights dimmed and the murmur of voices from the surrounding tables died out. Then there was a flash and a bang at the stage as the curtains flew apart like scraps caught in a momentary blast of hurricane winds. And suddenly Shinichi knew exactly where Kaito was.

-0-

"So did you enjoy the show?"

Shinichi just barely managed not to jump at the voice speaking in his ear. He'd half expected it when Kaito had taken his final bows and disappeared in a swirl of black cloth, but somehow the thief had still caught him off guard. Turning, he met the thief's expectant gaze with a shy smile.

"I did."

"That's good." Kaito snapped his fingers and handed him a rose before sliding into the seat on the opposite side of the table. "This place is pretty well known for holding live performances on a daily basis. Since their goal is to encourage new talent, anyone can apply. You can be a total amateur or an experienced professional. They'll make time for you as long as they like your work. I would have invited you to one of my larger shows, but I figured this was more suitable in our current circumstances."

Shinichi nodded in understanding. "Do you come here often?"

"Just every now and then. I usually come for the food though. This is only the second time I've performed here. The first time was back when I was still in high school and hadn't started performing professionally yet."

"Have you always wanted to be a magician then?"

"Since I was a little kid. I wanted to be just like my dad."

"Kuroba Toichi." Kaito had told him a little about the man last time they'd met.

"Yep. He was the best magician in the world! One day, I'm going to be even better."

"You must be very busy."

Kaito laughed. "No busier than you, I'm sure. But really, busy's better than bored."

Shinichi imagined what might happen if Kaito got bored. He shuddered in horror at the mental pictures that conjured up.

Their food arrived.

"So how about you?" the magician asked once the waiter had gone. "Will you be joining the police after you graduate? Or were you thinking about going solo?"

"I haven't decided yet," Shinichi admitted. "I used to think I'd start my own agency, but ever since…ever since Conan, I've been thinking that it might be nice to just join the police."

"Why?" the thief prodded, tone gentle but encouraging.

"It's…a little hard to explain." Shinichi sighed. "The work overlaps a lot, obviously, but private detectives need publicity, and I just don't really want to have to deal with that."

"I'm pretty sure you're famous enough already not to need to advertise."

Shinichi blushed and shrugged. "Maybe, but it would still mean dealing with the media."

"Police do that too though."

"That's true, but it's different when it's not just you."

"Safety in numbers, eh?"

"I suppose you could put it that way. It's not just that though. I…guess it just feels like it would be nice to be a part of something."

Kaito nodded slowly. A love for standing out was about as much a part of him as breathing, but he supposed he could understand a desire for the opposite even if he didn't share it. The view from the top was beautiful, but it was a lonely perch as well. It was, in some ways, the reason he was here now. Because he had decided that he wanted someone to share his world with even if it meant stepping a little closer to the ground.

The conversation drifted to lighter topics after that. Both of them were taking the opportunity to learn more about each other. They knew a lot about the people they were, but not much at all about their lives and experiences, likes and dislikes. It felt a little strange in some ways, the things they did and did not know about each other, but after some pondering Shinichi had decided that what they did know already—about their ideals and their hearts and the things they would and would not do—was the most important. They could work on the rest.

Together.

Stepping out into the warm sunlight after their meal, Shinichi glanced up at his companion, feeling suddenly rather inexplicably shy. "Um, so…where to now?"

"Well, if there's anywhere in particular you wanted to go, feel free to say. But, if not, there's a carnival in town. The theme is Magic and Mystery. Sounds perfect, yes?"

Shinichi blinked then laughed. "I guess it does."

-0-

The carnival far exceeded Shinichi's expectations. He'd been a little afraid that it would be overcrowded or that the attractions would be gaudy or otherwise fatuous. It did turn out to be quite crowded, but the organizers had clearly put a lot of effort into making it feel suited to its namesake. They had gone for elegance rather than festiveness in the decorations, and the games had been designed to be thought provoking.

"I feel a bit sorry for those poor people running that riddle booth," Kaito remarked, swinging the bag of candy they'd won from said booth from one finger. "They looked like they were trying so hard. Maybe we should have pretended to be having a hard time."

"If you felt sorry for them, you shouldn't have said that bit about being able to write better riddles in your sleep," Shinichi pointed out. "I think you hurt their self esteem."

"Hey, I offered to write some for them if they wanted. It's not my fault they said no."

"Who would say yes to someone offering help that way?"

"I suppose you have a point. Shame. It would've been fun."

"For you, maybe."

The magician put on a wounded look. "I thought you liked my riddles."

"I do," the detective agreed. "But not everyone likes to spend a lot of time thinking about these sorts of things. Especially not at a place like this with so many other things to do."

"Speaking of things to do, how about an ice cream?" Kaito nodded towards one of the many snack stands dispersed throughout the carnival grounds.

Shinichi blinked. If he recalled correctly, Kaito had eaten a cinnamon bun shortly after they'd arrived and a rather large bag of cotton candy just before they'd spotted the riddle booth. "How can you still be hungry?"

"It's ice cream," Kaito said as though the answer should be obvious. "You don't eat ice cream because you're hungry. You eat it because you want ice cream."

Shinichi couldn't claim to understand his logic, but ice cream sounded pretty good considering the warm weather. They had just reached the end of the line leading up to the ice cream stand when Shinichi spotted a familiar face through a gap in the crowd.

"Is that Hakuba?" he asked, startled. The prim and proper blond just didn't fit in his head with the image of a carnival even if it was a mystery-themed one.

The magician cursed. "Oh great, it is. And he's with Aoko too. What the hell are they doing here? They're supposed to be attending a play on the other side of town. I checked."

"They're coming this way."

"In here!" Kaito grabbed his arm and yanked him into a photo booth. The curtain flapped back into place behind them. Crammed together in the darkness lit only by the glowing screen of the machine, they listened to the sound of familiar voices drawing ever closer.

"—too bad about that accident," the girl, Nakamori Aoko's, voice was saying. "I hope no one was caught in the fire. That would be terrible."

"Indeed," Hakuba's familiar voice agreed. "I am sorry we couldn't see that play. I know you were looking forward to it."

"Yeah, but I'm sure they'll do it again sometime. We're just lucky there was this carnival to come to instead."

"There's your answer about why they're here," Shinichi whispered.

"Let's just hope they hurry up and go," the magician whispered back.

Outside, Hakuba asked, "Would you like an ice cream?"

"Oh, okay."

Kaito cursed. "I am going to kill him."

"Please don't."

"Metaphorically, metaphorically. Could his timing have been any worse?"

"We just have to wait for them to go."

"It certainly looks that way."

Outside, Hakuba and Aoko's conversation turned to some recent cases that the blond was working on as they waited for their ice creams. There was a pause as the man running the ice cream stand handed them their orders. Their voices, however, did not fade after that.

Kaito's eyes narrowed as he listened to the two discussing an upcoming dinner appointment with Nakamori elder. "Damn, they're not leaving."

"There was a bench by the stand. I'm guessing they're going to eat here first before going on."

Kaito rolled his eyes even though he knew no one could see him. And after he'd gone to all that trouble to make sure Aoko and Hakuba secured those tickets too. Maybe it was Shinichi's bad luck kicking in? At least no one had died.

It was hot and stuffy in here. The booth had not been meant for two. On second thought, maybe that was a good thing. Shinichi was a warm weight on his lap. Tightening his arms around the detective's waist, he buried his nose in soft, black hair and smiled. Maybe this wasn't going to be quite so bad. Indigo eyes landed on the glowing screen in front of them. A thoughtful gleam appeared in them.

Shinichi shifted slightly, leaning forward a little and turning his head so that he could peer through the crack between the door flap and the wall. He found Hakuba's familiar head of blond hair over at the bench as he'd expected. Beside him sat a young woman with long, brown hair. Shinichi had only ever seen Nakamori Aoko from a distance. He hadn't noticed before just how much she looked like Ran. A Ran with a serious case of bed-head, but still… It was a little creepy.

"Hey Shinichi, since we're here already, do you want to take a picture?"

There was no answer. The detective was still gazing intently through the crack at the world outside. Wondering what was so interesting, Kaito took a moment to look outside as well.

Hakuba and Aoko were still there, ice creams in hand.

"—if Kaito knows about this place," the girl was saying. "I'm sure he'd like it."

Hakuba snorted. "It's Kuroba. I'd be more surprised if he doesn't know."

"I've been meaning to ask you something."

The blond smiled at her. "You can ask me anything."

Inside the booth, Kaito pretended to gag, not that anyone was paying him any attention.

Aoko took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm…thinking about applying for some graduate programs abroad. Of course, it won't be for a while yet, but, well, I wanted to know what you thought."

Kaito stopped listening. He already knew Aoko was thinking about going abroad, and he wasn't really interested in listening in on her and Hakuba getting lovey-dovey over it. The two had been growing more and more insufferable by the day.

For his part, Shinichi was feeling a bit bemused. So Hakuba had been right then about who KID's civilian identity was. Not, he supposed, that he had ever seriously debated the issue of whether the blond was right or not. And it seemed Nakamori-keibu's daughter knew the magician quite well too. How had Kaito managed to keep from being caught for so long? Shinichi himself had spent three years 'hiding' behind a false identity, and he'd been found out multiple times despite having the cover of a seemingly impossible shrinkage. Kaito really must be one incredible actor. At the same time though, no matter how much he enjoyed fooling people, it had to have been a bit lonely. The thought made Shinichi's heart ache.

Speaking of Kaito, the thief had been unusually quiet.

It was as the thought struck him that Shinichi noticed that Kaito's hands were drawing circles on his thighs. They were feather light circles that he could just barely feel through the fabric of his jeans. They were nevertheless applying just enough pressure to leave his skin tingling in their wake. And they were slowly moving inward.

"Kaito!" he hissed, blushing and swatting the hands away.

One of said hands flew hurriedly to clamp over his mouth. "Shh, we don't want Aoko and the idiot poking their noses in here, remember?"

Shinichi turned his head, freeing his mouth from the magician's hand. "Then stop touching me!"

"In case you haven't noticed, you're sitting on my lap. I can't stop touching you."

"That's not what I meant and you know it!"

"Oh, you mean this?" The thief's hands darted inside Shinichi's shirt and began tickling up and down his sides and across his stomach.

Shinichi's squawk of protest morphed into a fit of stifled laughter. He wiggled and flailed, trying to grab the offending hands, but they eluded his every attempt. When they finally stopped, Shinichi went limp, panting for breath.

"To think I was worried about you," he grumbled between gasps. "I must be insane."

"Oh?" Kaito blinked in honest surprise. "Why ever would you be worried?"

Shinichi blushed and looked away. "No reason."

"Come now. You don't really expect me to believe that."

Shinichi remained quiet for several seconds before he spoke, voice quiet. "I…just thought you might've been lonely, not being able to tell anyone about…"

For a long moment neither of them moved or spoke. Then Kaito pulled Shinichi against his chest, arms wrapped tight around the detective's slim frame.

"Thank you," he murmured into the surprised Shinichi's ear. The words sent light tingles along Shinichi's nerves. "But you don't have to worry about that. I have you now, right?"

Shinichi's flush deepened, but he squirmed around until he was facing Kaito then slipped his arms around the thief's neck to hug him back. "Yes, you do."

A smile tugged at the corners of the thief's mouth. Catching Shinichi's chin with one hand, he brought their lips together. It was a long, slow kiss, filled with the words that neither of them were quite ready to say.

"Only you," Kaito murmured, drawing back a little.

Still a little dazed from the kiss, Shinichi blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Only you. You know who I am, the good and the bad. You are my light. You remind me of the good things—the truths and the dreams. You remind me of who I am and the way I want to be because you've always believed in the goodness in me. You may not realize it, but that means a lot to me. Whenever I'm tempted to cross the line, you're the one who pulls me back. Because I know you believe that I'll make those right decisions you live your life by, and I just can't bring myself to prove you wrong. You're the angel on my shoulder, so to speak."

"…I can't believe you can say things like that with a straight face."

"I meant every word."

"You think too highly of me."

The magician chuckled. The sound reverberated through the both of them. "I'd say that's for me to decide, not you."

Shinichi didn't answer. Instead, he allowed himself to relax into the thief's embrace. The truth was that—ridiculously sappy as they were—Kaito's words made him happy even if he didn't entirely understand where they were coming from. There would be time to find out.

And then Kaito had to go and ruin the moment by groping him.

-0-

Shinichi stared at the rather long row of photo stickers Kaito was holding. It looked like a comic strip. Not just that, but a comic strip documenting their little tussle, the kiss—everything. Except, out of context as they were, they looked a hell of a lot naughtier than anything that had actually happened. Especially the ones after the tickle attack when he'd had his head on Kaito's shoulder while he tried to catch his breath, face flushed red from the laughing fit.

He turned bright red and made a grab for the photos. "I'm going to burn them!"

Kaito yanked the photos out of harm's way and ran off laughing. "No way. These are important souvenirs!"

"When did you even take those? I didn't notice the machine working at all!"

"Of course not. Who do you think you're talking to here?"

"Give them here!"

"Not until you learn to appreciate them~."


	2. Let's Try Again

Shinichi was slowly starting to really dislike Hakuba. He had never had much issue with the blond before. They worked together on occasion, and though Hakuba was a bit uptight and picky about some things, he was a decent enough detective. Shinichi respected his abilities. He also quite enjoyed having someone around with whom to discuss Sherlock Holmes.

Recently, however—or not quite so recently anymore—every time he met the blond, he would inevitably find himself being interrogated about KID.

"Has he contacted you recently?" was how this latest conversation had begun outside of the coffee shop where Shinichi had stopped to buy a few bags of coffee beans to replenish his stock before heading home from the bookstore. He no longer had to ask who Hakuba was referring to. Judging from the blond's questions today, it seemed that he and the police were still trying to figure out where exactly it was he and KID had been that night after the heist in the hopes that there might be some evidence there or something. They'd scoured the city's hotels and come up empty handed. Now they were looking into other places that might offer lodgings (and therefore getting further and further from their goal). The fact that it was almost impossible that they would ever find the place, let alone any evidence in it, didn't seem to daunt them at all. Then again, that was just one of the traits of the KID Task Force—no matter how futile they knew it was going to be, they would try it anyway on the off chance that they'd strike gold. It wasn't a bad trait to have when chasing particularly devious criminals, but it did lead to extremely busy and often fruitless days.

Hakuba had wanted to know if Shinichi could remember anything else that might help the search. He'd asked for details about the color of the curtains, the pattern of the bathroom tiles, the types of wall art, and even the make and model of the television. Shinichi dodged what he could and was as vague as he could manage and still be believable about the rest. He felt a little guilty about it, but the evening really had been private business, and he reasoned with himself that it wasn't hurting anyone. When Hakuba was still at it almost an hour later though, he'd had enough.

"You've asked me all this before. I've already told you everything I can," he snapped. "Asking me everything three times isn't going to change my answers."

The blond actually looked affronted. "I only wished to make things clear. You should understand the necessity of having accurate evidence."

"I do, and I appreciate that you're working hard on this," Shinichi conceded. "But I really don't have anything else to say about it. If I do think of anything new, I'll be sure to call you."

Hakuba studied his face for several moments as though trying to read his sincerity before giving a stiff nod. "In that case, I shall take my leave. Good day, Kudo-san."

Shinichi watched the blond go with a certain degree of foreboding. He shook off the feeling once Hakuba was out of sight and continued on his way home.

Halfway there he spotted a familiar figure with shoulder-length hair in the crowd and ducked hurriedly into a side street. The last thing he needed right now was to bump into Sonoko. His hair stood on end just thinking about it.

Fortunately, he eventually made it home without tripping over anymore nosy or homicidal acquaintances or being called into another case. Relieved, he made sure to lock and bolt the door behind himself. He walked into the kitchen to make himself some coffee—and found Kaito sitting at his kitchen table, drinking a cup of the aforementioned coffee while reading a newspaper.

Shinichi blinked, but the thief was still there. "Kaito?"

"Welcome back," the thief said without looking up from his paper. "I went ahead and made the coffee. To be honest, I wasn't expecting you to be out so early on a day with no classes. Did a case come up?"

"Uh, no, I just had to run a few errands… How did you know I didn't have classes? I don't remember telling you my schedule."

Now the thief did look up to give him a sly grin and a wink. "What kind of kaitou would I be if I couldn't find out something as simple as a detective's schedule?"

"…You can be a little creepy sometimes, you know that?"

Kaito feigned a look of innocence. "Whatever do you mean?"

Sighing, Shinichi walked past him to put away the handful of food items he'd gone out to buy. "I met Hakuba while I was out."

"Did you make sure he didn't follow you home?"

Shinichi's brows drew together as he poured himself some coffee and sat down across from Kaito. "I didn't realize I had to."

Kaito wagged a finger at him. "Never underestimate a detective's ability to be a pest—present company excluded, of course. But in any case, I have birds watching the area. They'll let us know if any unwanted guests show up."

"Does this mean you don't have classes today either?"

"Strictly speaking, I had one, but today's a review section so it doesn't really matter if I miss it."

"So…are you going to tell me why you're here?"

"I'm here to take you out on our first date."

Shinichi looked confused. "But we already had a first date."

"That one didn't count. Much as I enjoyed our little photo shoot, hiding in cramped spaces half the time isn't a proper date. I did promise you a proper one, didn't I?"

Shinichi flushed at the reminder of the photo booth incident and the pictures he hadn't managed to get rid of.

"So then what did you have in mind?" he asked.

Kaito only grinned. "You'll find out soon. Just finish up your coffee so we can head out."

-0-

It was warm on the train. Kaito still hadn't told Shinichi where they were going, but the detective had decided that he didn't mind waiting to find out. It was enough to be here with Kaito.

The magician was sitting in the seat beside him with a baseball cap and green contact lenses. He had left Shinichi's house as Takagi-keiji. They had walked part of the way chatting about made-up cases like they were real before "Takagi" took his leave. Shinichi had gone on to the train station by himself, only to be met just inside by a bearded gentleman with a nasty scar and even nastier squint. Where he'd discarded that disguise, Shinichi had no idea. He only knew that by the time Kaito had ushered him onto a train, the magician had looked more or less like himself—albeit with the aforementioned contacts. The detective didn't know if this rather extreme level of caution was really necessary, but Kaito had insisted that it was.

But now that operation Board the Train was over, they could relax.

"And this time I made triply sure we won't be running into Aoko or the idiot," the thief was saying.

"Do I want to know how?" Shinichi couldn't resist asking.

"Probably not. But if you really insist on asking, I will oblige you with an answer." He cocked an eyebrow at the detective, eyes agleam like a little boy eager to share his tarantula collection.

"Er, no thanks," Shinichi said hastily. "By the way, Ran sort of…implied that she would like to meet you."

"Oh?" The thief considered this ambiguous statement for a few moments. "Would this be the "I'm going to practice my karate moves on his face for being a pervert" kind of wanting to meet me or the "I'd like to get to know him better to make sure he'll take good care of my friend" kind of meet me?"

"Probably the second. And did you just call yourself a pervert?"

Kaito waved a hand airily. "I was just illustrating a point."

"Oh. Anyway, I get the feeling that she approves of the idea of…" Shinichi trailed off and waved a hand to indicate the two of them, a hint of color rising in his face. "Us. Though I'm not sure why."

"Because she knows I'm awesome and there couldn't possibly be anyone better?" Kaito suggested, smirking.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Somehow, I don't think that's it. I think it's more like she thinks I don't meet normal people, and you're the lesser of many evils, so to speak."

The thief laughed. "Well, if circumstances allow, I would be happy to meet her. Though that brings us to a certain little problem."

"You mean the one where we haven't actually met?"

"That's the one. I don't intend this to be a secret forever."

Shinichi was glad to hear that. It gave him a certain sense of security, like it was a promise from the thief that he would be staying. "Did you have something in mind?"

"I'm working on it. I was just wondering if this means I can take Mouri-chan's cooperation into consideration. It does considerably expand the possibilities, although it would also raise the risk."

They tossed around a few ideas, but somehow managed to wander off topic into a discussion about mystery literature. Neither of them minded though. After all, they had all the time in the world now, right?

-0-

They had disembarked in Osaka.

"First up, lunch!" Kaito announced, slinging an arm over Shinichi's shoulders. "I had a show here not long ago. Found some pretty good restaurants while I was at it."

"Do you travel a lot for your performances?"

"Quite a bit, though mostly it's not so far that I can't be home by the end of the week."

"Almost all your heists have been in or around Tokyo though."

"Well~, I wanted to make sure you could make it. You don't often show up when I'm not working in the area. Which, by the way, was most impolite of you, ignoring my personal invitations like that."

"If you wanted to see me, you could have just come to visit."

"I did, actually, but you generally weren't awake enough to talk to me."

"…That's the kind of information you should keep to yourself."

The light bantering continued all the way until they reached the restaurant. Shinichi was slightly confused by the fact that they were in one of the few eateries overlooking the bay that served no seafood, but when he'd asked about it all Kaito had said was that seafood was overrated.

Things were going well until they neared the end of their meal. That was when the shop's door opened again to admit another customer—two of them, in fact. Two that Shinichi recognized immediately. He froze.

Kaito noticed instantly. "Shinichi?"

"That's Hattori," the detective whispered, sliding down lower in his seat. "And Kazuha."

Kaito cast a casual glance in the direction Shinichi was staring like someone simply taking a look at his surroundings. "Yep, looks like him. You might want to stop staring if you don't want to catch his attention."

Shinichi groaned and brought a hand up to his face. "Of all the people to run into…"

"Well, Tantei-han does live in Osaka," Kaito pointed out. "And he rarely attends my heists. From what you've said, he also doesn't like Hakuba much, so it's unlikely they're going to sit down for a friendly chitchat."

"You don't know Hattori. He's the worst person at keeping a secret. I can't even count the number of times he slipped up over my name while I was still Conan—and you should have heard his excuses."

"I take it they were lame."

Shinichi winced. He wouldn't have been quite that blunt about it. "For the most part. He really is a good friend, but…"

"In that case, I suppose we need to make sure he doesn't see you."

That, Shinichi thought, was going to be easier said than done. Hattori was currently distracted as he waved his arms while talking to Kazuha, but soon he would look around. People like Hakuba scoffed about how the dark-skinned detective could be hotheaded, but Shinichi knew that his friend was a good detective despite that—and that meant he was observant and above averagely nosey.

On the other side of the table, Kaito took a moment to finish up the last of his food before speaking again. "Go to the restroom. I'll meet you there after I talk to the front desk. I can whip us up a disguise in no time."

Seeing as it was probably their best option, Shinichi got up and hurried towards the restroom at the back of the restaurant. Stepping inside, he was relieved to find it empty. It would be pretty pointless to put on disguises in front of an audience.

The door opened and he spun around quickly. Seeing Kaito, he relaxed.

"It's a shame I don't have any more contacts on me right now," the thief said as he produced a whole string of materials from what looked like thin air.

"We can't be in here too long or someone might come in and see," Shinichi reminded him.

"Right. Nothing too complex. Got it. Come here."

A blond wig and a dash of makeup later Shinichi looked at himself in the mirror and marveled at the stranger staring back. While a close inspection would reveal a certain similarity between this person and himself, Kaito had managed to create the effect of a completely different person with only a handful of subtle changes. While the detective studied his handiwork, the thief set about adjusting his own face. A few minutes later a slightly older man had taken his place. He still had his green contacts on, and he'd used some gel to restyle his hair into something a little less reminiscent of a bird's nest. Lastly, he handed Shinichi the baseball hat he'd been wearing earlier.

"Just a little extra precaution," he explained. "Ready?"

Disguises in place, they left the restroom—and walked straight into Hattori on his way in. Shinichi stumbled back a step, hand flying up to make sure the hat stayed on his head as Kaito caught his shoulder to steady him.

"Whoa, sorry!" Hattori exclaimed.

"I—it's alright, I'm fine," Shinichi blurted out then cursed himself as Hattori frowned. He should have tried pitching his voice higher or lower. He could just see the other detective trying to figure out why his voice sounded so familiar.

"Hey, have we met somewhere?"

"Uh, what? I—I don't think—"

"It's pretty unlikely," Kaito cut in before Shinichi could dig the hole any deeper. "This is our first time in Osaka," he continued with a brilliant smile that all but glowed with false honesty. "I have to say, it's an amazing city."

"Sure is," Hattori agreed with a proud grin of his own. "Best city in Japan. So you guys been here long? If ya haven't seen it yet, ya gotta go see…" Hattori continued to ramble on about several of the must-see sites around his beloved home city, egged on by Kaito who seemed to know exactly what to say and when to say it to drive the conversation farther and farther from troublesome waters.

As they talked, the suspicious curiosity melted out of the dark-skinned detective. By the time they heard Kazuha calling for him, he had already put together an entire itinerary for the two 'tourists' and even offered to show them around. Kaito declined the offer with a regretful declaration that they had relatives to catch up with.

Shinichi began to breathe more easily as they watched Hattori making his way through the tables to where his girlfriend was already seated. "That was close."

Kaito chuckled. "At least we learned a lot about Osaka."

It was only fifteen minutes—though it felt like years—later that they emerged into the outside.

And of course, just to put the icing on the cake, that was when somebody screamed.

-0-

The train ride back to Tokyo was a quiet one, but the easy warmth from the trip away had dissolved to be replaced by a more somber mood.

"I'm sorry."

Kaito turned to the detective seated beside him, eyebrows rising. "What are you apologizing for?"

Shinichi had his face towards the window, but the thief could see his face reflected in the glass. He didn't particularly like the expression he was seeing. It was withdrawn and much too grim. He had seen a hint of it earlier when they'd run into that case, but during all the running around and gathering of evidence it had been eclipsed by that fierce concentration and determination that he had seen many a time on his detective's face. With the case closed, however, that light had faded, leaving this behind.

"Tantei-kun?" he prompted gently when Shinichi didn't immediately respond.

The detective sighed and leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry we ended up spending most of today on that case."

"That's hardly your fault. Besides, I've been itching to try that putty bomb on someone. Today was an excellent test run."

"This sort of thing happens a lot though, when I go places. I just thought I should warn you."

Kaito chuckled. "Believe me when I say that that is not news to me."

"It means my schedule can be a bit…unpredictable."

"My dear Shinichi, you are speaking to the king of unpredictable."

The detective finally cracked a smile. "I guess I can't really argue with that. I just…I mean, I know it can bother people—the bodies and stuff, but it just sort of happens and I can't ignore it—"

"Shinichi," Kaito cut in before the detective could ramble any further. "It's okay. These things happen. And you shouldn't ignore it. Murderers shouldn't be allowed to walk away from their crimes." Indigo eyes flashed, hardening to ice for an instant before softening again as they refocused on Shinichi's face. "Besides, you wouldn't be you if you ignored these things." He ducked and placed a quick peck on the detective's cheek before straightening with a grin. "And if you weren't you, and I wasn't me, then we wouldn't be here. Don't worry, I'm going to make sure we get our uninterrupted date or my name isn't Kuroba Kaito!"


	3. Candles, Roses, and the Dance

Nakamori-keibu glared at the latest paper on his desk. It was an article announcing a jewelry exhibit that would be coming to town soon. Picture after picture of large, sparkling gemstones paraded before his eyes. And in each facet he could see the smirking face of a certain phantom thief. Growling under his breath, he tossed the papers back on the table and picked up his mug of tea.

This kind of exhibit was just the kind that KID loved. It was overflowing with targets and from a foreign country to boot. He should have sent a notice ages ago! Surely he was interested in the exhibit. So why was there no KID notice? There wasn't one in his mailbox or in his email. He hadn't gotten one texted to his phone, nor had it been placed mockingly on his desk when he came into work in the morning. It hadn't fluttered down around him from the air vents or been found pasted to the bottom of his shoe. None of the other officers in the task force had found it yet either.

That left two possibilities. One was that KID was, for some reason, passing up on the opportunity to get his sticky fingers on this exhibit of world-class gems galore. Nakamori really couldn't imagine that being the case. The other possibility was that the notice had been delivered to Kudo but not to the rest of them. That had happened before, much to the old inspector's ire, but usually the boy dutifully brought it down to the police station as soon as he found one.

Hold on, there was a third option wasn't there? KID could just be late. He did occasionally send out notices with very short notice, but much shorter notice and he was going to miss the exhibit altogether.

Maybe he should go ahead and start planning how to catch KID at the exhibit anyway? They wouldn't have any clues to go on, but it beat doing nothing, and if he had options prepared he could then choose the best plan for the situation when it inevitably came. And if KID really didn't hold a heist, well, they could always use the plans later. Yeah. That was it. It was about time they stopped waiting for the thief to set the stage, forcing them to dance to his tune. After all, that old Jirokichi fellow tended to come closer—reluctant as Nakamori was to admit it—to catching KID than the police because he was the one who laid the groundwork for everything from location on up. Well, that and he had a whole load of cash to throw at his projects and do things like reserve whole buildings for his personal use, but that was beside the point.

Er, speaking of plans… He supposed he still owed the Kudo brat an apology. He really had no idea how his men had managed to let the thief walk out of the building with the boy in tow, but it had been an honest mistake. Of course it had. But it had been a damned good thing that Kudo had come back unharmed or they'd probably all be looking at a seriously uncomfortable inquiry and possibly early retirement.

Now that he thought about it, it had been pretty stupid to have only one person shadowing Kudo. It made it far too easy for KID to replace the shadow.

He sighed.

They certainly wouldn't be using that strategy again.

The theory behind it was still sound though, he decided. They just needed to be a bit more creative. So…how did you go about becoming creative?

-0-

They had been working in the library of the Kudo Manor. Shinichi was mostly doing research for a paper he had to write for one of his classes. Kaito had brought a mess of diagrams and plans, saying something about planning for his next show. It was only the third time they had met up like this, but they both had the feeling that it was going to become a routine. Even when they were both busy with their respective work, there was just something comfortable about being there together. It lent the atmosphere a quality of warmth that Shinichi hadn't realized had been missing until he'd found it.

Closing the book he'd been reading and jotting down a last note for his essay, he stood up and stretched. Letting out a contented sigh, he turned to find Kaito watching him. "What would you like for dinner?"

"Actually, I took the liberty of providing dinner for tonight."

Shinichi blinked, suddenly feeling nervous. Kaito had offered to help him in the kitchen the first time he'd come over for one of these quiet evenings and Shinichi had sworn never to let him do so again. "Do I want to know what it is?"

Kaito laughed as he vanished his papers and stood. "Don't look so scared. I didn't make it." Crossing the distance between them in three long strides, he offered the detective his hand. "Shall we?"

"What are you up to?" Shinichi asked, though he accepted the proffered hand and let Kaito lead him out of the library and towards the living room.

The thief answered with an enigmatic smile. "You should know better than to ask me that by now."

A few minutes later, they turned the corner into the living room and stopped.

Shinichi could only stare.

The spacious room that had once been his living room had completely vanished. In its place was an elegant chamber wreathed in the warm, golden glow of candlelight. A table had been set up to one side. Across it was spread a miniature feast. Shinichi had no idea where all that food had come from or how Kaito had spirited it into his house without his knowledge, but it was there all the same. The other side of the room was clear of all furniture, leaving a polished stretch of floor. A dance floor, Shinichi concluded. To finish off the scene, soft music was playing in the background.

When he'd managed to recollect himself enough to speak, he turned to the thief waiting expectantly beside him. "What did you do with my furniture?"

Kaito blinked then put on a mock wounded expression. "I set all this up and that's all you have to say?"

Shinichi blushed. "No, no. I mean, it really is amazing. I don't know when you found the time. But some of that furniture was really old, and my mom is going to throw a fit if she comes back and it's damaged in any way…" He offered the magician an apologetic smile.

Kaito laughed and wrapped an arm around his waist to begin propelling him towards the table. "In that case, don't worry about it. I'll put everything back to the way it was tomorrow. She'll never even know any of it was moved. Now I want you to forget about all that. Tonight is just about us." He swept an arm out to indicate the living room in all its transformed glory. "I thought about going out tonight, but considering our track record thus far, I figured this was a much more practical route to take if we actually wished to have an uninterrupted date."

Shinichi had to laugh. "That's very likely true. Although there's always a chance that someone might show up at the door with a case."

"Don't jinx it, Shin-chan."

They took their seats and settled in for what promised to be a very pleasant evening. Half of Shinichi kept expecting the doorbell to ring or his phone to go off heralding panicking policemen or some uninvited guest, but none came. It was almost surreal. Not that he was going to complain. Little did he know that KID had set up a couple precautions against such intrusions in the yard and around the gates. Not that Kaito wanted to interfere if some truly urgent case came up. But he figured that if the situation was bad enough, the messenger would find a way to make him or herself known. Scream really loudly for instance. Barring such an incident, however, he was determined that the house be an island tonight.

At one point, conversation drifted to their earlier encounters.

"You never did tell me how you ended up as a little kid," the thief remarked.

The detective grimaced. "It was a poison."

"Really? That's new. I would think there're people out there who'd kill for a poison that would make them younger." A shadow passed over Kaito's face. "In fact, I can name some."

"I was lucky. The percentage of people it doesn't just kill is almost zero." In a few words, Shinichi outlined the events of that fateful night at the amusement park. It wasn't something he liked thinking about, but he would be lying if he said it didn't still haunt him on some somber nights.

By the end of the tale, Kaito was frowning at him. "You seriously need to be more careful."

"I know, I know. But what about you? I know you succeeded your father to that cape and monocle, but what are you looking for?"

A sardonic smile flickered across the thief's face. "Many things, my dear detective. But perhaps it would be best to start at the beginning."

It was a grim tale that followed. Shinichi listened intently, keeping quiet until the very end and letting Kaito decide how much he wanted to elaborate.

"And that's about the shape of it," Kaito concluded. "You're the first person I've ever told the whole story to, you know."

Shinichi met his gaze, his own expression solemn. "Thank you."

Kaito smiled then, a small quirk of the lips that hinted at his usual humor. "To be honest, it's a bit of a relief."

"A gem to grant eternal life," Shinichi murmured, his thoughts spinning back to his own years going back through elementary school. So that was what Kaito had meant when he'd said he knew people who would kill for a shrinking poison. He'd always wondered if what had happened to him and Haibara had been at all related to what the poison had been intended to do. A way to cheat death. He shivered at the thought. "Do you…really believe that such a stone exists?"

The magician was silent for a long moment, watching the flames dance upon their wicks. "I don't really know," he said finally, voice quiet but serious. "But it doesn't matter. There are people who believe it is. People who will kill for it. As long as that fact holds true, my quest is a valid one."

Shinichi nodded slowly. He could understand that kind of drive. In some ways, he supposed, the two of them were trying to do the same thing—to right some of the wrongs in the world the best ways that they knew how. It was just that they approached the issue from opposite sides.

"I'd say that's enough of that," Kaito announced abruptly, shattering the silence. Rising to his feet, he snapped his fingers. Instantly, the music rose in volume from its former background whisper to a more audible level. Then he stepped over to stand beside Shinichi's chair where he bowed and held out his hand. "Will you honor me with this dance?"

Torn between rolling his eyes and blushing at the overdramatic gesture that was so characteristic of the thief, Shinichi placed his hand on Kaito's and nodded. "Of course."

-0-

Kaito wondered sometimes what his father would think about him choosing to pursue a detective. They were, after all, a family of thieves. They lived with caution or not at all.

Tightening his hold on the detective, he spun Shinichi into a dip, grinning at the gasp of surprise the gesture elicited. Leaning down, he placed a quick peck on Shinichi's lips before pulling him up and back into the dance.

When Shinichi looked at him, he didn't see just KID or Kaito but everything—all the faces that Kuroba Kaito had worn and the person who remained behind them all. Perhaps they did not yet know everything there was to know about one another, but that would come with time. The important thing was that here was someone who could understand him, believe in him, and care about him not despite but because of the many roles he played, both the good and the bad. Someone who could accept you for everything that you were with all your flaws and your virtues was a treasure worth more than any amount of gold and jewels.

And he decided that his father would have understood.

Besides, what greater accomplishment could there be for a phantom thief than to steal the heart of the country's most brilliant young detective?

He smiled down into the aforementioned detective's face—his detective's face, noting the curiosity gleaming in those blue, blue eyes that were more beautiful in both color and clarity than any gemstone could ever be.

"What are you thinking?" Shinichi asked, head tilting slightly to one side as he continued to observe his companion's face.

Kaito's smile widened. "That you're beautiful," he replied, nothing but sincerity in his words.

Shinichi blushed. He couldn't take his eyes off Kaito either. The angular lines of his face, the unusual indigo shade of his eyes as they glinted with reflected firelight, and the ever so slightly wicked curve at the corner of his mouth. His heart was pounding a little too fast in his chest to be normal.

"Do you remember that speech you gave me at the carnival?" he asked softly.

"Of course."

"You said I reminded you of the good things."

"I did. And you didn't believe me."

Shinichi flushed. "It's not that I didn't believe you. It was just that… I suppose I was thinking that it was kind of ironic. You see, I… Your heists…" Shinichi let out a frustrated huff, gaze shifting to some point in the distance as he tried to articulate the thoughts buzzing in his head. "I see a lot of…unpleasant things in my work. It's…hard sometimes not to feel like that's all people can be. And then I wonder what the point is in what I do if nothing ever changes. But you—your shows, the magic, the way everyone acts at your heists… I guess what I mean is that you remind me that it isn't all dark out there."

Part of Kaito wanted to crack a joke about a detective essentially admitting outright that he liked a thief's heists, but the more sensible part of his brain squashed the impulse. Instead, he offered Shinichi a warm smile. "I'm glad."

The music was coming gradually to an end. By now they weren't so much dancing anymore as simply swaying to the last notes of the song as they held each other close. Their bodies fit together perfectly.

"What now?" Shinichi murmured, voice a little breathless.

Kaito's breath was hot in his ear when he replied in tones just as soft. "Well, normally this would be the point where I take you home. But since we're already in your home, we get to skip that part, as well as the part when you invite me in for coffee and cookies. That leaves us free to go straight to the grand finale."

"And what might that be?"

"Why speak of it? It would be much more expedient—and enjoyable—if I simply show you." That said, Kaito scooped the startled detective up into his arms and headed for the stairs, rather pleased at the way Shinichi clung to him in his surprise.

Shinichi considered complaining about the lack of warning, but he knew it would be pointless. So instead he rested his head against the magician's shoulder and let himself enjoy the closeness.

It seemed his bedroom too had undergone a drastic change. Once again, Kaito had forgone any electric lights in favor of the more old fashioned candles and lanterns interspersed to create a miasmic glow punctuated by stars of firelight. The bed itself was a rich expanse of cream and crimson silk. He considered asking Kaito what the magician had done with his original bed (this one was too big to be his) but decided it could wait. Besides, he had the feeling that bringing it up would annoy Kaito. In a moment of mischief, he thought perhaps he should bring it up then just to see what the thief would do. But the thoughts flew from his mind as Kaito dropped him on the bed and leaned down to capture his lips in a heated kiss. Tongues met and clashed. Soft moans escaped into the air.

It was a dance, but a dance of a different kind from the one they had enacted downstairs. Hands wandered and caressed, drawing each other closer and closer as clothes were removed and tossed aside so that all that was left was skin. Each touch burned and spread, and if there was no music to be heard aloud it was only that the song was in their souls—a rousing symphony with all the gold of sunset and the pent up power of a volcano waking from centuries of slumber. In the face of that melody of fire, all else crumbled into nothingness.

Mouths met in a heated kiss. Limbs twined and bodies came together. The dance sped up as the music reached a crescendo. There were no thoughts anymore, only passion.

Shinichi tossed his head back, soft cries and gasps falling from kiss-swollen lips as Kaito thrust inside him. Their fingers twined together as though determined to hang on to the moment. It was an all consuming rhythm, quick and deep, in and out—Then Kaito's mouth was on his again, hot and hungry in that way that made Shinichi tingle with heat. Breaking apart, the detective turned his head to the side, gasping for breath. Kaito trailed butterfly kisses along his jaw then down to a spot near the base of his neck where he bit down hard enough to make Shinichi yelp.

Unable to withstand the stimulation any longer, Shinichi came with a loud cry.

Kaito followed a moment later, releasing himself deep inside his lover's heated body before collapsing on top of him.

Shinichi moaned and squirmed under him at the sensation, lost in a haze of post coital bliss.

It was a few minutes before Kaito managed to gather himself and pull out of his detective. Shinichi let out a quiet whimper and shuddered at the movement. He muttered something incoherent.

"What was that?" Kaito asked, lying down beside him and pulling the covers over them both.

Shinichi sighed, cracking open one blue eye. "We should take a shower."

The thief pulled him closer. "It can wait."

Shinichi considered protesting, but he was too comfortable to move. "At least put out the candles," he mumbled instead. "They're a fire hazard."

Kaito laughed. "Ever the practical Shin-chan."


End file.
